same here- I've turned in an application for just about any fast food place you can imagine (McDonalds, Wendys, BurgerKing...) They never call me and when I call them they always say something like "yes, we have your application and we'll call you if we're considering it." The economy seems to have hit hard on teenagers.

Several years ago I went through a "temp agency" to find a job (I was having as difficult time as you guys are now). Generally a temp agency works to "place" people in temporary positions. For example, a company might need someone to handle filing but they don't want to hire someone to work for them regularly. So they'll go to a temp agency and let them know that they need someone for x amount of time and the temp agency goes through their "database" of temp employees to find someone who is available and should be suitable for the job.

There are also temporary employment agencies for more physical labor. These agencies tend to place people in "basic" construction type jobs or in warehouse type jobs. Many of those agencies only work on a day-to-day basis though, where many of the "office" type temp agencies will have longer term jobs.

Many temp agencies also have permanent positions available or temp-to-hire, which is pretty much a way for the employer to try someone out before hiring them.

1.Make a good impression when you come in to get the application, when you drop it off, and certainly when you interview. 2.See what type of clothes the employees are wearing and try to mimick that style of dress a bit. 3.When you come in to get the application, make sure to ask if there is a certain time/date you should drop it back off or if there is a certain person you should give it to. They usually answer that it doesn't matter, but it makes you look more professional. 4.When you drop off the application, ask if you could see the manager to drop it off with them. 5.If you drop it off with the manager, ask them right then if it would be possible to schedule an interview. This shows that you really want this and have a forward personality. 6.If you have to drop it off with a random employee, then check back a week later in person to see if they've gone through your application.

I'd like to add one thing to that list that I've noticed has been more lacking.....

7. MAKE EYE CONTACT. I cannot stress how important that is, and yet a lot of people don't do it. Eye contact makes you seem confident and likeable. Lack of eye contact (and some of that "fake" eye contact that people use where they aren't actually focusing) makes people appear shifty and of course self-conscious.

Damn minimum wage is hurting us. I would be willing to work for $5 an hour, but I am not allowed to do this because the govt takes away my choice to negotiate a job and salary. Minimum wage hurts the most needy people, teenagers and others who do not have the experience or skills for a high paying job. Luckily I got a job with a family friend so I can go around that restriction.

Finding a summer job was a pain in the a$$. I had like lots of applications and a couple of interviews but you know how those go, "we'll call you back when we have a opening". But i kind of lucked out as i got this pretty cool job at a district park. I get paid $9 an hour and i work 40 hours a week. That is more than enough to buy me a laptop at the end of summer when i go to collge in the fall. I basically just keep the park clean and since the park has a beach, it is like a dream come true. A more ideal job is to be a lifeguard but i don't think you can put someone's life in my hands.

The trick to getting a summer job is knowing when to apply. I had the same problem, I went out like the last week in May last year, dropped off ten or so applications: NADDA. So I enjoyed my summer, got a tan, read a few books, slept in a lot. Fast forward to the last week in August: I think it was like August 15th or so...I applied two places and basically would have gotten hired at them both. Right at that time, all the college kids who came back are going back to school and all the temporary help they hired for over the summer is leaving, too. If you want a job to keep for a while, apply like the second or third week in August. You'll get a job.

Here's my story: I applied to a nursing home (base pay is 8/hr), during the beginning of summer, and nadda. I called back around early August to see if there were any openings, and I immediately got an interview, and consequently, the job.

They seemed pretty desperate too... cuz all the college kids went away.

Other tips: 1. Dress professionally when you go to pick up an application. Do this even if the place is rather casual. Dressing in a collared shirt with a tie or, for females, a skirt and top and closed toed shoes makes you seem serious about looking for a job.

2. Do not drag your friends along with you. Employers will think that you'll spend your time socializing, not working. The employers also may hire your friend, not you.

3. If you have at least a "B" average, turn in a copy of your report card with the application. Having good grades indicates you are responsible. Employers would rather hire a reliable, responsible person than a teen with more experience who may not show up.

4. Type your application, don't hand write it.

5. Call afterward to follow-up. Particularly for the kind of entry level jobs high school students apply for, the job will often go to the teen who seems most eager about working.

For the longest time on my resume (even without experience you should put something together) I had my GPA included with the "Education" information since all I had under education was my high school experience. The GPA helped a lot.

doa job that you enjoy doing not becuase you have to or your paretns a re making you do it. if you like it youll enjoy it more and work harder at it; and before you get a job make sure you have atleast 250 communtiy service hours(a plus on transcrpts this is usally like a award "certificate of meritorious service) anyway good luck finding a job.....

Northstarmom, I couldn't agree more with your #1. As my husband told my son when he was applying for an internship, "You haven't earned the right for casual Friday yet." We worried that he had overdressed. Suite, tie, good haircut, the works. He walked in right after a student that went to his interview in blue jeans and a tshirt. We asked a good friend of ours that is a HR manager that does a lot of hiring for a large corp, including summer interns. His reply was, "Certainly not! The kid in the jeans and tshirt told me he wasn't really interested in the job by virtue of the way he was dressed." Friend was right. No more than one intern was hired from each high school. My son was hired, but the kids in jeans was not. The other student from his high school was.

I just had 2 interviews after 20+ applications. One left a message and offered me the job but I didn't hear the message & call back in time so now I don't know if I'll get the job, especially since they ignored my call today ...

I must have been lucky as a young adult. Total slob (the in-fashiony sloppy look, mind you--but nevertheless sloppy) just walked in off the street 90% of the time, and I always had killer restaurant jobs. Go figure. Table waiting in NYC you can do over 200 a night. I worked some nightclubs at the bar, too. Also great money.

First time I tried a temp agency, I got placed the next day and kept the gig for a year and a half at 28 bucks an hour! Come to think of it, I was wearing a suit and tie at that point. Never mind...